Planning expert Martin Gaine looks at what a realistic timescale is for getting your application approved, and what you can do to speed up the process

The planning process for this bungalow took a year in total. The project was approved under Shropshire Council’s singleplot countryside exception policy, designed to meet local needs for affordable housing

KE-DESIGN

Ever the optimists, planning consultants tell their clients that planning applications usually take eight weeks – the government’s deadline for minor proposals. Strictly speaking, this is true, as the outcomes for 90% of all planning applications were decided ‘on time’ in 2022, meeting the usual eightweek deadline or that of any agreed extension of time.

But how long do applications really take? In reality, it’s a lot longer than that, I’m afraid. Firstly, you must consider everything that happens before an application is even submitted. After that, there is the planning process itself – alot of applications take longer than eight weeks in practice, despite statistics. Finally, there is the postapplication part of the journey, including resubmissions or appeal (if your application is refused), amendments (if you start changing your mind about the final design) and the discharge of planning conditions (approval that the conditions of your permission have been met).

From a standing start, the earliest you are likely to be able to begin work is six months, but the whole planning process can take as long as two years. Some delays are outside of your control, but there is much you can do to avoid the pitfalls that slow many applications down. In most cases, delays can be traced back to the very beginning of the planning process, where applicants have failed to invest enough time and money into putting together a strong and complete application.